Market Basket Customers Show Boycott Support With $20K+ GoFundMe

Market Basket shoppers got out their wallets to support the ongoing customer boycott of the New England supermarket chain by raising over $20,000 by late Friday night in just 24 hours in a GoFundMe crowdsource campaign.

The funds were raised to purchase a full page ad in ‘The Lowell Sun’ to run in Saturday’s edition. The ad is a direct response to Market Basket Co-CEOs James Gooch and Felicia Thornton.

On Thursday, Market Basket executives took out a full-page ad in several Massachusetts newspapers advertising a job fair next week for a number of management-level positions at their 71 area stores. This ad came on the heels of a strongly-worded ultimatum from Market Basket execs to picketing employees: return to work on Monday, or risk losing their jobs.

The GoFundMe campaign outlines exactly why customers feel the need to voice their concerns in such a public way to Market Basket executives:

“This fund is to set the record straight! To raise the funds to take a full page ad out in the Lowell Sun to let the BOD know we are 100% behind Market Basket associates, reinstating Artie T, and will not shop at Market Basket until he’s back. We are the customers of Market Basket! We cannot be fired, we QUIT!”

A copy of the ad widely distributed on social media sites in support of Market Basket appears below:

Photo via Save Market Basket Facebook page

As the Board of Directors mulls over a deal made by ousted CEO Arthur T. Demoulas to buy back the supermarket chain, employees and customers remain loyal to their beloved Artie T. while executives refuse to budge.

With growing public support for employees and mounting disgust with Market Basket executives, it appears as though the two weeks of rallies and protests could come to a head with Monday’s ultimatum.

Stay tuned for continuing updates to this story.

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Keiko Zoll is a mom, writer, geek, women's health advocate and all-around sassypants. She writes for Disney Baby and Answers.com. You can find her all over the social web, usually Instagramming and Pinning into the wee hours of the morning.